The space of almost a year between the first two postings is unintentional. But, as St. Anthony learned in the desert, wisdom does not necessarily come quickly, or according to our timetables. Not that I have true wisdom, but I'm moving along on my pilgrimage through the "desert" we call the 21st century.
I have believed for a long time that two key elements are involved when the "rubber" of faith meets the "road" of life.
The first is "hermeneutics." Simply put, that's the way we translate old ideas into new thoughts. God does not change; the eternal wisdom is just that — eternal. But our thought forms and our language do change over time. And since our understanding of God depends on our language and thoughts forms, the way we understand and talk about God changes over time, too. It is especially important to note that, if people who know little or nothing about our faith are going to understand what we are saying.
The second key element is "ethics." This discussion of our values leads to action. The earliest Christians did not just sit around thinking and talking about Jesus. They did not spend all their time in prayer. They were out in the world, going about daily life, influenced to the core by their experience of Jesus. They "talked the talk" about Jesus and what he meant to them. But they also acted on their beliefs, and those actions changed the world.
5 comments:
Spoken by a retired member of the FD, married to a retired (36 year veteran)Assistant Chief. I used to place my faith and love in a God that I thought was represented by the bible. After I discovered through theological and seminarian studies that, no where at no time, does an ORIGINAL text exist, I became upset; then accepted it, then tried to rework my spiritual life, and only now have uttered the words: SO BE IT.
All we have are copies, of copies, of copies of transcripts, sometimes copied LITERALLY through imitation of the last copy (as by illiterates who only mimicked the curves and straight lines of the previous letters), straight down to the century when THE CHURCH hired actual literate scribes to "interpret through the pope" the church's "beliefs" at the time.
And so....I give up....so be it.
If God had truly inspired the writings, he would have preserved the originals.
If Jesus truly wanted his word teached to save all mankind, he would NOT have intrusted his message to a few illiterate journeymen, fishermen and the dregs of society.
Why did they scatter to the four winds upon his death?
Why did Luke finally RENT his "office" and return to his former practice?
Why wouldn't a spiritual resurrection of "such importance" be seen by ALL of mankind as it happened? You know: "hey sabib, look up in the sky! Hey George, look at THAT! Hey Herod! Look what you did! What a screw-up on your part!" kind of thing.
I give up. So be it.
Oh, please, don't give up. Dana; you may be having more fun that you realize.
Your tease of coming posts, ie:
"The Archbishop and the Attack Dogs"
"'Religionless' Christianity"
Have me hoping that there WILL be more. I love nothing better than exercise. No. Not exercise as we understand it, but as in exercising my mental muscle. It's become fat and irregular.
I would instantly purchase any book with "The Archbishop and the Attack Dogs": as it's title without even looking at the prologue.
If God had truly inspired the writings, he would have preserved the originals.
If God had wanted us to smoke pot, he would have given us lungs?
If God has wanted us to fly, She would have given us wings?
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